Planning the Move From Preschool to Kindergarten

Starting kindergarten changes a child’s surroundings, routines and relationships. A useful transition plan prepares the adults and the environment as well as helping the child become familiar with school. The aim is participation, communication and a workable day, not a test of whether the child can manage every new demand without support.

Registration ages, programs and support processes vary across Canada. This guide offers practical questions for families moving from preschool, child care or home into kindergarten. The British Columbia and Ontario examples are labelled; confirm the current arrangements with the receiving school.

Start the conversation with the receiving school

Ask which school or office handles registration and who coordinates support planning. Registration and a transition meeting may be related but are not the same task. Confirm both rather than assuming that completing an online form tells the classroom team everything it needs to know.

TDSB’s entry-to-school guidance encourages families of children with special education needs to contact their local school promptly, discuss registration and meet with the principal about strengths, needs and relevant documentation. This is a local route, not a promise of a particular placement or staff assignment.

Prepare a short description of what helps the child participate. Include interests, communication methods, useful routines and situations needing support. A diagnosis may be relevant to a process, but it does not explain how the child asks for help, joins play or experiences a busy lunch space.

Share information that adults can use

A one-page introduction can be a starting point. Use concrete examples: “A picture of the next activity helps explain a change,” or “They point to their bottle when they want a drink.” Describe the child’s actual communication without assuming that every gesture has the same meaning in every situation.

Ask preschool or child-care staff what they have observed and which supports are useful. Where information will be shared between organizations, clarify permission, recipients and the approved route. Avoid sending a complete private history when a relevant summary would answer the planning question.

Ontario’s support-for-students-with-autism guidance describes planning with families, school staff and relevant community personnel when children enter the publicly funded system. Ask how existing providers can contribute locally; do not assume that a community service automatically continues unchanged in school.

Walk through the day, not only the classroom

Do not rely on “we will work it out” for an essential arrangement. Ask who will do the task, what information they need and what happens if the usual adult is absent. Questions involving medication, allergies, positioning or other safety-sensitive care should go through the school’s appropriate professional and administrative procedures.

Think about the whole day from the child’s perspective. Before-school care, transport and after-school care may involve different staff or registration processes. Confirm who shares the necessary information and whether those settings have their own planning requirements.

Make familiarization manageable

British Columbia’s full-day kindergarten guidance suggests visiting the school and classroom and meeting staff to discuss strengths and needs. A visit can be useful, but its format should fit the child and the school’s arrangements. A short quiet visit may reveal more than a crowded event that becomes overwhelming.

Ask what the child most needs to recognize: the entrance, classroom, washroom, a familiar adult or the place to keep belongings. With the school’s permission, a few photographs may help explain these places. Avoid collecting or sharing images of other children.

Offer information without turning every day at home into school practice. You could look at a simple route picture, read a familiar story or choose a bag together. Let the child’s response guide the pace. If a visit is difficult, record what made it difficult and ask what can be adjusted; do not treat the visit as a pass-or-fail assessment.

Confirm the first-day arrangements

Before the start date, ask for the current arrival instructions and the name or role of the person meeting the child. Check whether earlier information has changed. Keep the essential instructions available in a form the adults involved can use.

Discuss how the child can communicate discomfort, ask for a break or indicate a need for help. A support is only useful if adults recognize the signal and know how to respond. Do not remove a familiar communication method because school uses a different preferred format.

If a gradual entry or altered schedule is proposed, ask about its purpose, duration, educational access, review date and the applicable local process. Do not assume that all autistic children need the same schedule or that a temporary arrangement should continue without review.

A practical example

In this fictional example, Leo enjoys building and understands familiar picture choices. His parent and preschool educator explain that noisy handovers are difficult and that he often points to a picture when he needs help. The receiving school arranges a short visit focused on the entrance and building area.

The team records who will meet Leo and how his communication materials will be available during the day. After school begins, staff notice that the lunch transition needs more explanation. They discuss this with the family and adjust that part of the plan instead of interpreting a difficult lunchtime as failure of the entire transition.

Review after entry, while the details are fresh

Agree on a reasonable check-in date and how routine updates will be shared. Ask about participation, communication, comfort and access, not only whether the child appeared quiet. A child may need help even when they are not interrupting the classroom.

Use specific observations from school and home. Note what happened before a difficult moment, which support was available and what helped afterwards. Avoid diagnosing the cause from a single event. If a concern involves health, safety or substantial distress, seek the appropriate professional or school help rather than relying on a generic checklist.

Common questions